NR 506 Week 5: Drivers of High Performance Healthcare Systems
NR 506 Week 5: Drivers of High Performance Healthcare Systems
Two drivers of high performance for healthcare systems are quality and cost. In my current work situation, I am a nurse in the operating room. Cost data and information is usually inadequate in a hospital, but most often occurs in operating rooms (Farmer, 2015). In order to obtain high performance standards for our patients, we work together as a team and that is a top priority for us as members of the hospital. Maintaining high standards of care and giving patients a good experience at our hospital is what we strive for and hope to achieve. The patient experience is sometimes known as the driving force that patients look for in receiving care at a facility; their experience keeps them coming back. Cost is always a main driver in any business. Healthcare is no exception to the rule. Balancing competitive costs and still making profit for the company is sometimes a challenge with issues from Medicare reimbursements and public aid programs. In the operating room. We are very frugal with supplies, limiting the patient’s charges and saving the facility money is always a goal. If there are two options, the surgeon will usually ask to compare the prices to see which is cheaper in order to save the patient money. The facility also limits the number of nurses in each operating room. This saves the company money because resources are usually limited, and the hospital is usually low on nursing staff. It also saves the patient money. Studies show that surgical interventions account for over forty percent of total expenses of a hospital (Winkle, Champagne, Mays, & Aucoin, 2016). A hospital’s operating rooms are the most costly to run making them targets for cost saving innovations (Winkle, Champagne, Mays, & Aucoin, 2016). Operating room delays are a prime example of cost saving measures that are a driving force to high performance in an organization. The facility where I work places strict measures to reduce operating room delays that cost the facility money and also reduce the patient’s quality of care. When room times are delayed the patients become anxious and their experience with the facility is not at an optimal level.
Farmer, A. (2015). Cost Accounting in the operating room. Retrieved from
Winkle, R., Champagne, M., Mays, M., & Aucoin, J. (2016). Operating room delays.
Retrieved from https://www.nursing.duke.edu (Links to an external site.)
Quality and access to care is essential to the well-being of our community. More often than not the two do not go together. Patients may have to drive miles for better quality of care. As an advance practice nurse, it is our duty to provide the best quality of care to help patients reach optimal health. Members of rural communities are often overlooked when it comes to access to quality of care. In July 2016, the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute reported Charlton County as being one of the worst counties with provider shortage. Charlton ranks 75 percent below the state average for providers in the state of Georgia (Harker, 2016). They are 65 percent below the average in regard to nurses the deficit leads to patients traveling 35 to 50 miles away for the nearest hospital. Georgia hospitals in rural areas are closing due to financial difficulties, leaving patients without access to quality healthcare.
Georgia is one of many states that do not allow advanced practice nurses autonomy. Family nurse practitioners and physician assistants have to practice under the supervision of a medical doctor. The shortage in patient provider ratio could be decreased if autonomy to practice independently were granted to advanced practice nurse and physician assistants. Not only would this increase access to care but it would also increase quality of care. Nurses are taught to have impeccable bedside manners and listen to the patients. We wear many hats from nurse, case manager, social worker, friend and confidant. Patients feel comfortable speaking to nurse’s vs the medical doctor. These characteristics are enhanced when becoming an advanced practice nurse. Taking the skills learned in graduate courses can benefit the quality and access to care for many patients Legislators have to chance to change the law and allow for better care to patients.
Harker, L. (2016, July 1). Charlton Ranks Among Georgia Counties With Dire Health Provider Shortages. Retrieved from Georgia Budget and Poicy Institute: https://gbpi.org/2016/charlton-ranks-among-georgia-counties-with-dire-health-provider-shortages/
